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How to: Survive Post-Grad Life

Post-graduation can be stressful and the idea that it’s all coming to an end can be quite scary. Some students suffer stress and anxiety, according to Rheyanne Weaver this can come from a fear of the unknown. One of the main stressors is that not everyone has a plan for work, or a full-time job lined up.

Here are five helpful tips for how to deal with life post-graduation.

Switch your focus: The transition from University life to being out in the real world, is mostly about you and your own goals. Most of University is about learning and challenging oneself academically. In an article by Forbes, they point out that at University, “Everyone (or mostly everyone) had a vested interest in your learning and develop[ment]”, with University mostly being about you, how you’re doing and what you are interested in. However, “employers [on the other hand], will hire you for what you can do for them, not vice versa.”

Don’t be afraid to fail: Sometimes it’s not about the end result but the journey you take to get there. J K Rowling, in her hairdo speech in 2008 said “…rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” J.K Rowling is a perfect example of how sometimes it takes failing to succeed. So just because you might fail at first, don’t be afraid to continue to try hard and work to improve upon the errors you have made. This can be something as simple as getting some constructive criticism from co-workers or your employer on a failed project.

Learning from your mistakes: It is important to improve upon what went wrong. It can be hard to admit this even in a group work scenario where the pressure is on. I’m sure you’ve seen some people vent on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The goal here is not to become one of those people, people that just blame everything on someone else and never own their mistakes or take responsibility. Because if it goes unnoticed according to Amy C. Edmondson, it will go unlearnt and no personal growth will come from it. This ability is something that you will definitely need to take into any working environment.

Cleaning up your social media accounts: This is good from both a mental and a work standpoint. On the one hand, it’s good to get rid of any unwanted photos that might not be work friendly, while on the other hand, it’s a good chance to start afresh. As Allie Klein suggests, it could be as simple as just changing your profile picture and taking out all the awkward photos from photo albums. New phase, new you, you could even use this transition to reinvent yourself on social media in a professional sense. Now I’m not suggesting erasing your past, more just improving the quality of it. Alternatively, you can just turn your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pictures on your profile to private and save yourself the hassle and pain.

Those who came before you might know a thing or two: Just like University, those who have been in the position you’re currently in might know what they’re talking about when they hand out advice. Patrick Mullane in a Fortune article put it best when he said, “there are literally centuries of acquired knowledge about how to do things that came well before you were even born.” So don’t be scared, ask for advice, have a conversation with someone about an upcoming project because chances are that person might have the missing piece to your puzzle.